I was conscious of Rushton’s unsmiling eyes on me, but I did not look at him, terrified of cracking open the carapace that protected him from his deadly memories. I turned to bid the others a distracted farewell, and they all thundered away into the night.
Seely and Orys began to pack up the remains of the feast. Jana wakened the younger Misfits who had fallen asleep earlier, handed each of them something to carry, and ushered them down into the complex. Orys followed, laden with the heaviest pots and pans, and Seely took the last basket of leftover food and gave me an inquiring look, for I had sat down on a blanket.
“I will sit until the fire dies,” I told her, gesturing to the flickering embers. She nodded and went, leaving me alone.
I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from me as I lifted my knees and leaned my chin on my folded arms to gaze at the distant horizon, now faintly visible because of the approaching dawn. I closed my eyes and let images from the last sevendays fall through my mind like flakes of snow, making no attempt to catch any of them. Then a breeze began to blow, whipping the fire up and sending a cloud of sand to scour the air with a sibilant hiss. I shifted my position so the sand blew at my back, and my eyes fell again onto Domick’s cairn. I thought of his last painful hours and loathed Ariel more passionately than I had ever done before, because I knew that Domick’s death had been intended as a stab at me.
“The harm you did to Rushton was not your fault,” I whispered to Domick’s shade, in case it listened.
I saw that the dusting of stars overhead was beginning to fade as the sky lightened. My thoughts shifted to Kella, and I wondered why she had not come across the river. She must have known about Domick, because Iriny had told the others, and it surprised me that she had not crossed with them.
I shrugged, thinking that I would soon enough be in Sutrium, where I would find out for myself about Kella. I would be able to see Dameon, too, and Gahltha and Maruman. The thought lifted my spirits. I would see Dragon also, and I might find that she had remembered who she was or at least that she had grown less hostile toward me in my absence.
I was still thinking of Dragon when the sun rose. The fire had gone out some time before, and I stood up and stretched and rubbed my arms, realizing that I was cold and my eyes burned with fatigue. I said a final farewell to Domick and made my way wearily through the blue shadows of the early morning toward the complex below. I felt so tired and hollowed out from the day’s emotions that I virtually sleepwalked to my bed. Dragging off my boots and socks, I fell into the smooth sheets and sleep at the same moment.
An instant later, or so it seemed, someone was shaking me, but when I dragged open my eyes, Seely smiled and told me that it was late afternoon.
“What is it?” I asked her, rubbing my face and feeling the grit of sand.
“There are riders in the ruins waiting to escort you to Aborium,” she said.
“Riders?” I croaked.
“They came from Aborium specifically to fetch you,” Seely said.
I sighed, realizing that Gwynedd must be more eager than I had anticipated to hear about the events that had taken place on Herder Isle, despite the fact that Merret must have told him everything I had shared.
I climbed out of bed. “Ask Pellis to let these riders know I must dress and speak to Dell. Then I will come with them.” After she had gone, I took the time to use the bathing cabinet, but I did not linger. Once dried, I put on my own trousers and tunic and the heavy oversized shoes Erit had given me. The Beforetime attire had been surprisingly comfortable, but it would draw attention. Vesit had said the guards at the gate had been coerced; even so, I would be careful.
Inside the escalating chamber, I asked Ines aloud and somewhat self-consciously if Dell was in Sanctuary.
“Yes, Elspeth,” Ines’s voice purred. “Do you wish the elevator to descend to the Sanctuary level?”
“Yes, please,” I said, and immediately the elevating chamber began to vibrate.
When I arrived, Dell looked up so expectantly that I guessed she had known I was coming to see her. That she rose and immediately pressed a small bag of books into my arms, asking me to convey them to Maryon, also told me she knew I meant to go directly to Sutrium after leaving Aborium.
“I need to speak to you about Rushton,” I began. “But maybe you already know what I want to talk about.”
She gave me an amused look tinged with sadness. “I saw that you would leave today, and since Jak has told me what he heard of Domick’s words to you and that he advised you to speak with me, yes, I was expecting you. But I do not live entirely through my Talent, Elspeth. Perhaps you can begin by telling me all that Domick said to you about Rushton.”
Drawing a deep breath, I forced myself to relax. It was important to be calm and factual in my telling, but even as I spoke, the futureteller’s expression grew more grave. When I had finished, she said, “I observed Rushton carefully yesterday. From that, and from what you have said of his behavior toward you at Obernewtyn and in Saithwold, I would say that you are correct in believing that the repressed memories of his experiences on Norseland are working their way to his conscious mind. But I do not believe that it is happening only because of your presence. All memories that have been repressed will break open eventually, especially memories of such virulence. But from what you say, Rushton’s behavior toward you degenerated between your departure from Obernewtyn and seeing you only days later in Saithwold. That means it was happening in your absence.”
“So you are saying it has nothing to do with my being around him?”
“I am not saying that,” Dell said. “It is very likely that seeing you disturbs the memories, given the part you play in them, but not seeing you will not prevent Rushton from remembering what happened.”
“What do you advise?” I asked.
She gave me a clear, certain look. “The only healing lies in a true and clear remembering, Elspeth. But such remembering must be carefully managed in Rushton’s case, for he needs first to understand that the memory he has repressed is badly deformed.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“My futuretellings have told me that we know Rushton was drugged when they tampered with his mind, and we know the drugs created a false reality composed of nightmare and distortion. Rushton may have been made to believe that he tortured you or Domick or that they both tortured other people. So in addition to pain and horror, he might feel a terrible, self-destructive guilt. He needs to know that what he will remember may not be true. The problem is that he must be prepared without knowing what he is being prepared for, because being told what happened will almost certainly cause the memories to erupt immediately.”
“Is it bad for him to be near me?”
“It is difficult to say. On the one hand, your image is associated with torture, but on the other, Rushton used your image as a talisman and a shield, and that image was shaped by his love for you,” said the futureteller.
I resisted the urge to shake her. I wanted clear, practical advice. “I have thought that it would be better to avoid Rushton in Aborium and return as soon as possible to Sutrium,” I began.
“I do not know if that is the wisest course,” Dell said in her infuriatingly measured tone. “Remember, of all the images he could have chosen with which to defend himself, Rushton chose yours. It may well be that in the end, you are the only one who he will allow to help him. I cannot give you exact advice, but I do not think you should avoid him. Allow your presence to work on bringing the memories to the surface, but he must be prepared for them.”
“And how do I prepare him without speaking of what happened?” I snapped, perilously close to tears.
Dell sighed. “Did you imagine I would have a simple solution? Or better still, a potion that will heal Rushton after a single drop? This is not a child’s story, Elspeth. You want my advice? In my opinion, Rushton’s memory will break open soon, no matter what anyone does. I would suggest he be prepared through dream manipulation. That
way, real things can be offered to Rushton’s subconscious mind in disguise. Gradually, the warped memories must be introduced and broken down as lies. This will be difficult because of course we do not know exact details of what happened to him, but you will have to use what you learned from Domick. It may be that what you learned while on Herder Isle will help.”
“I do not know if I can …”
She shook her head. “I am not suggesting that you manipulate Rushton’s dreams. Indeed, I would advise against it. You will need an empath, allied with a coercer and a healer. They must use your knowledge to create the dream images they will evoke in Rushton’s mind, and when he does remember, an empath can induce calmness and a feeling of safety; if there is a need for it, a coercer could put him to sleep.”
“Blyss and Merret?” I said.
“They would work well as a team, and Blyss has real healing abilities, but it would be better if Rushton were back at Obernewtyn when this happens rather than here amid strangers and unfamiliar surroundings. Yet the memories may not wait until a convenient time to break out,” Dell said. “In that case, you could not do better than to use Blyss, for as well as being an empath, she is developing profound probing abilities, which will enable her to work deeply in Rushton’s mind without the aid of a coercer. I’d suggest that you tell Blyss everything and let her plan an approach and prepare the dreams she will use. But I would not have her use them unless it seems very clear that Rushton is on the verge of remembering.”
“How will I know that?”
“Blyss will be able to judge his emotional emanations,” Dell said.
I nodded and then looked into her eyes. “What else did you see that you did not tell Gwynedd?”
Her eyes flickered. “I will say only that this Land must be united and at peace, and peace and order must be brought swiftly to the Norselands, also.”
She had no more to offer, and when I had thanked her, she bade me farewell with a formal finality that reminded me uneasily of our last conversation here.
“Are you all right?” Seely asked, for she had insisted on coming up with me to say goodbye.
I nodded, blinking in the brightness of the sunlit afternoon and feeling the strength of the wind against my cheeks. I expected Gwynedd’s armsmen to be waiting outside the ruins, but instead I saw people and horses standing at the edge of the square. Coming closer, I stared because three tall Sadorians clad in long fluttering tunics over loose-legged trousers of pale silk stood by several horses. The tallest of them was unmistakably the bronzed Sadorian tribal leader Jakoby, and as I watched, she turned and offered a few gestures of fingerspeech to a black horse. Then I looked more closely, for the horse whose long mane streamed out like black silk in the wind was Gahltha!
He tossed his head and flicked his ears at a cat sitting on top of the broken wall—Maruman! As ever, the old cat seemed to feel my eyes, and he turned to glare at me with one blazing yellow eye. I broke into a run, calling out their names aloud, and then I was gathering Maruman into my arms, uncaring. He disliked being picked up and normally would scratch me if I dared to hold him so close, but though his body stiffened, I felt his mind mold itself instantly and tenderly to mine, pressing effortlessly against and through the powerful barrier around it as if it were smoke. I laid my chin against his battered head and threw out my other arm to encircle Gahltha’s glossy neck.
“I have missed you!” I sent to them both.
“You left Maruman/yelloweyes!” Maruman accused, sinking his claws into my arm.
“I did not choose to leave you!” I sent to him. “I had no idea what was going to happen when I went into that tunnel in the cloister.”
“You should not have left me/Maruman, ElspethInnle,” the old cat spat.
“Dear Maruman, even if you had been with me, how could you possibly have come over the sea with a ship fish?” I protested, already knowing that he would not accept this as reason enough for having been left behind.
“Promises are to be kept,” Maruman snapped.
I sighed, giving up the attempt at reason, and agreed that they ought to be kept. Then I apologized and said that my heart had ached from having been away from him and Gahltha for such a long time. Gahltha whinnied and nibbled at my ear affectionately, beastspeaking that he had missed me, too, but Maruman made no response.
“Let him sulk,” Gahltha advised in his robust voice. “You know he won’t be content until he makes sure you know how miserable he has been.”
“Maruman has not been miserable!” the old cat snarled. “Maruman has been angry!”
Gahltha snorted his amusement. “I/Gahltha am glad to see you, ElspethInnle. I sought you on the dreamtrails, but you did not walk there.”
“That is because the Daywatcher is as clumsy as ElspethInnle,” Maruman sneered.
Gahltha dropped his head and blew a long stream of warm air through his nostrils into the old cat’s shabby fur. It was a mark of Maruman’s attachment to the horse that he did not scratch the velvet muzzle but reached up to touch it with his own small scarred nose. The sweetness of the contact brought fresh tears to my eyes, and I blinked hard as I turned to offer to Jakoby the formal greeting between friends that was traditional in Sador, then I bowed to the two tribesmen, who returned the gesture. Last of all, I beastspoke a greeting to Jakoby’s horse Calcasuus and the other two horses.
The tribeswoman’s smiled broadened, her white teeth flashing in her dark, handsome face. “It is good to see that you remember what you learned in your visit to the desert lands, Elspeth,” she said in her deep, musical voice. Then she, too, made the formal response to a greeting between friends, hand clasped to her heart as she bowed her head low enough that the beaded ebony ropes of her hair fell forward in a little cascade, clicking and clanking against one another.
“How do you come to be here, and with these two?” I asked when she had straightened.
“I traveled to Sutrium on the Umborine after the tribe leaders met a sevenday past and agreed that one of the sacred spicewood ships must risk an encounter with the Black Ship, for a command from the overguardian of the Earthtemple must be deemed of greater importance than even a greatship and her crew.”
“The overguardian commanded a ship to travel to Sutrium?” I asked. “For what purpose?”
“I was told to anchor there and do what was asked of me.”
“Somewhat cryptic,” I ventured.
Jakoby gave a laugh and her white teeth flashed. “Cryptic is the language of the Earthtemple, but even for them, this was unusually obscure. I asked the overguardian how I was to know when I had done what I was meant to do, and she answered that one who has been to the desert lands would ask something of me. I must continue to do what is asked of me by anyone who had traveled to Sador, until I was bidden to return there. Only then might I do so. The Temple guardian also said that before I returned to Sador, I would learn a thing that would touch an old and very deep sorrow.” She sighed. “You see what I mean about cryptic.”
“The new Temple guardian is a woman?” I asked.
Jakoby nodded.
“So you went to Sutrium, then you came here. Am I to assume that you were asked to come here?”
She nodded. “As we approached Sutrium, we saw great clouds of black smoke rising up and obscuring the city. We anchored the Umborine some distance from shore, only to find another ship doing the same. That it was a Herder greatship worried me, but those aboard signaled us, and we soon learned that the only Faction priests aboard were prisoners. Incredibly, almost the entire inner cadre of the Faction, and a good number of Hedra captains, were in the hold in chains.”
“The Stormdancer!” I said in elation. “Who was aboard?”
Jakoby smiled. “Their captors were the Norse crew and three Misfits from Obernewtyn, one of them—Yarrow—somewhat the worse for wear. Reuvan was with them also. They told me that you and a small force of coercers had overturned the Faction on Herder Isle before you set off to the west coast on the back of a
ship fish! And why? To save the people there from plague because someone had been deliberately infected with it. But you know all of this, for it was you who commanded the greatship to sail to Sutrium.”
“Yarrow,” I said, realizing this meant that the Hedra master had been overcome or had surrendered. “What of Ode?” But Jakoby gave me an uncomprehending look, so I asked, “When did you work out that the smoke coming from the Land was the result of a ruse?”
“The wind changed direction, and we saw that all the smoke was coming from the side of the city facing the Suggredoon. Indeed, at first we thought it must have been coming from beyond the Suggredoon, and that made me wonder if you had been too late to stop the plague. Of course, I did not know it was Domick who had been infected until after we had landed. It was the asura—your Dameon—who told me that. He was waiting to greet us in the name of the high chieftain of the Land, and he told us the reason for the fires. He could not yet tell us the outcome of the gambit, for Rushton and Dardelan and the others had only just gone across the river. But the asura asked us all back to Dardelan’s home to wait with him to learn what had happened on the other side of the Suggredoon.
“I acceded to Dameon’s invitation willingly, because it was a request from one who had been to Sador and who had, while there, been named asura—guest friend of the tribes. I was glad of the opportunity to see my daughter. But I soon learned that Bruna had ridden out only a day past, to journey by coast road to Sador.”
“Bruna went to Sador before Dardelan crossed the river?” I asked in disbelief. Was this the reason for his grimness? And yet it seemed unlikely that Bruna would leave him on the eve of a battle.
Jakoby knitted her brow for a moment, but she only said, “The asura feasted us that night, and those tales we had been told hastily were elaborated upon. That was the first time I heard that the plague-infected null was Domick. You have my deepest sympathy, for Merret told me that he died. I returned to the Umborine, still troubled about Bruna, whom I now knew I would not see until I was asked to return to Sador. Also, I was full of curiosity about why I had been sent to Sutrium. Given all I had learned, it would be easy to imagine that I had been sent there to aid the rebels. Yet …”